You are here

Conservation

We benefit our shareholders through sound land management practices.

Alaska is the largest state in the union. At more than 586,000 square miles, it is approximately one fifth the size of the lower 48 states, more than two and a half times the size of Texas and larger than the next three largest states combined. There are approximately 47,300 miles of coastal shoreline. Based on size alone, Alaska, indeed, lives up to the name “The Great Land.”

Of Alaska’s more than 365,000,000 acres, over 322,000,000 acres (about 88 percent) are held in public trust by the federal government and the State of Alaska. Alaska is home to over half the parklands, preserves and wildlife refuges in United States. Much of the national forest lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service are locked away from commercial development by “wilderness” designations, inaccessibility, and exclusions in the Tongass and Chugach National Forest land management plans. Developable lands in Alaska constitute a very small percentage of the state’s landmass.

The Chugach region comprises approximately 10 million acres, or roughly 2.5 percent of the state. Within the Chugach region, Chugach Alaska Corporation is entitled to approximately 378,000 acres of full fee estate and 550,000 of subsurface estate to be managed for economic opportunity and growth for our more than 2,000 shareholders.

Chugach Department of Land and Tourism

The Chugach Department of Land and Tourism’s goal is to benefit our shareholders through sound land management practices, maintain ownership and control of our lands and resources, and preserve our culture and heritage. As stewards of the land and resources, we work to maintain a balance between development and conservation of the area’s natural character. In these days of fashionable and popular politics, Chugach relies on science and research to make the best-informed decisions regarding the use of our lands. While Chugach has developed some timber and mineral resources, much of our land remains in a wild and untouched state. We will continue to employ sound land management practices and conservation principles to maintain our lands for subsistence and natural processes while providing economic opportunities for shareholders. It is fitting that the resources developed in the Chugach region benefit the Chugach people.

Chugach holds title to full fee and subsurface estates within the boundaries of the Chugach National Forest, Kenai Fjords and the Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks. The presence of wild and pristine places in the Chugach region is critical to Chugach shareholders and their heritage, as are areas that remain available for responsible development.